Wednesday, March 10, 2010

On My Wishlist: Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy: Curiouser and Curiouser

I still have not seen the new Alice in Wonderland movie. I've heard that it's amazing, I've heard the good and bad, but I know that I need to see it for myself. I plan on seeing it this weekend. Going to the movies in rural Maine is not as simple as setting aside a few hours on a weeknight. I live about half an hour from our only movie theater in this county. Seriously. So travel time included, a movie experience can take three to four hours. And I don't have that much free time on a weeknight.

Anyway. Besides having an interest in seeing my favorite books turned into movies, I also love to read books that claim to be related to the original text. I've read a couple of books on philosophy that work on this premise. One such read is The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'Oh! of Homer. This book is a collection of philosophical essays that (somewhat) tie-in with the Simpson's cartoon series. It's an interesting read and I've shared it with a bunch of people and most have enjoyed it. So, when I saw Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy: The Curiouser and Curiouser, I couldn't help but be excited.

It is obvious that Lewis Carroll did not mean for us to sit and ponder the implications of LSD on our society or to wonder whether Alice is a feminist icon, but Carroll could not possibly have foreseen his cute little story becoming the box office smash that it is today. Because Alice is in our culture, she could be a feminist icon. Because productions of Alice in Wonderland have been trippy, people connect LSD to the story. It would be interesting to think about the implication of all of these connections. That's why this book is now a part of my wishlist. I hope to buy it soon before I (potentially) lose my interest in this topic!